Sides Recipes
OK, so we don’t’ really have cranberries in Greece, but that has never stopped me from making a Greek-inspired cranberry sauce, replete with those amazing umami-like Greek fried figs from Northern Evvoia, all the warm spices, and a drizzling of two really special ingredients: Petimezi, or grape molasses, and honey vinegar or balsamic, whichever you […]
I am always looking out for new ways to serve Greece’s favorite beans, so love to serve classic Greek giant beans, aka gigantes (GHEE-ghan-des), grown in Feneos, in the western highlands of the Peloponnese, in a dish that echoes my Greek-American heritage, with pumpkin-pistachio–feta pesto. And, yes, those are Greek pistachios and they’re pretty amazing!
I don’t know about you, but for me, mashed potatoes are one of the biggest sources of stress on Thanksgiving Day. You’ve got to make them fresh and serve them hot in order for them to be the absolute best. I’ve come to love my Greek recipe for baking them, which enables me to make […]
Mageirio, after the verb, to cook, “mageirevo,” is essentially an all-purpose summer stew, a kind of “throw-everything-in-one-pot,” dish that almost every home cook makes at least once a week, making use of everything that grows in her garden. This and the next recipe offer slight variations on the theme. If amaranth greens are unavailable, you […]
The range of Greek vegetable-rice dishes covers all manner of seasonal ingredients. These recipes are more similar in texture to Italian risotti than to the pilafs (pilafi in Greek) of the East.This is one of my favorite go-to recipes when I want to create something that harks back to tradition but is modern, easy, and […]
In the Mani, the southern part of the Peloponnese and one of the agriculturally poorest parts of the country, little else besides citrus and olive trees flourish. I sampled this humble dish in the home of a local cook many years ago and have made it countless times over the years. Oranges and olive oil […]
Beet salad, patzarosalata in Greek, is an all-time favorite. Earthy beets pair beautifully with garlic and the acidity of good vinegar. You’ll find this salad on tables everywhere, the perfect match to fish recipes like fried cod croquettes and retsina.
This classic caper topping is a signature dish of Santorini and nearby Therasia, but the combination of capers and fava is savored all over the Cyclades.
It’s difficult to choose one recipe among the many for yellow split peas throughout the Cyclades and Dodecanese. The small yellow legume is a local hero, the stuff of sustenance but also of imagination; despite its humble nature it has become the main ingredient in countless local specialties, married with herbs and spices such as […]
Mushrooms are always an elegant addition to the table, no matter the occasion. This makes a great side dish to festive and everyday main courses. You could even serve them over Greek fava, for something extra special.